Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions concerning Mr X’s children in 2018 and 2019. The complaint is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained of the actions of social services at the time the Council took his children into care and afterwards.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. We may exercise discretion to consider a late complaint if the person complaining was unaware of the matter complained of within 12 months, or if they were prevented from complaining. The chronology Mr X supplied showed the matters he complains of happened in 2018 and early 2019 and that he would have been aware of them at the time. Although he says there were circumstances that he named that prevented him complaining earlier, the chronology shows he would have been able to complain later in 2019. We also receive complaints from other persons in the same situation Mr X says prevented him from complaining.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to consider it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman